Property From An Esteemed European Collection
205
Zhang Huan
Memory Door (Miss)
signed, titled [in Chinese] and dated 'Zhang Huan 2008.' on the reverse
silkscreen on paper mounted on carved antique wooden door
135.9 x 332.9 x 17.1 cm (53 1/2 x 131 1/8 x 6 3/4 in.)
Executed in 2008.
Full-Cataloguing
Chinese Iconographies: A Selection of Works by Chinese Artists from an Esteemed European Collection.
The ensuing group of works by Chinese artists explore the importance of identifying with and reflecting on their cultural heritage through physical objects, motifs and references whilst addressing current socio-political circumstances within China and around the world.
Memory Door (Miss) is a commanding example from Zhang Huan’s 2006 series entitled Memory Doors in which the artist collected doors from country houses in Shanxi Province that were being torn down or renovated in favour of a new, Western style. Huan used the Chinese tradition of pasting gods or deities to bring luck and fortune, now incorporating three different themes: military, day labor and daily life. Huan’s pasted photographs were partially carved away into bas-reliefs that in turn interacted with the surviving measures of the photographs. Merging traditions and skills of the past with innovative artistic devises, Huan employed Chinese artisans instead of artists to help complete the carvings, simultaneously keeping traditional Chinese craftsmanship alive, whilst creating an innovative outlets and practices for their specialist skills.
The ensuing group of works by Chinese artists explore the importance of identifying with and reflecting on their cultural heritage through physical objects, motifs and references whilst addressing current socio-political circumstances within China and around the world.
Memory Door (Miss) is a commanding example from Zhang Huan’s 2006 series entitled Memory Doors in which the artist collected doors from country houses in Shanxi Province that were being torn down or renovated in favour of a new, Western style. Huan used the Chinese tradition of pasting gods or deities to bring luck and fortune, now incorporating three different themes: military, day labor and daily life. Huan’s pasted photographs were partially carved away into bas-reliefs that in turn interacted with the surviving measures of the photographs. Merging traditions and skills of the past with innovative artistic devises, Huan employed Chinese artisans instead of artists to help complete the carvings, simultaneously keeping traditional Chinese craftsmanship alive, whilst creating an innovative outlets and practices for their specialist skills.